3,000+ Years...
Rings, the symbol of eternity, were utilized by Egyptian pharaohs to represent their divine power and connection to celestial bodies like the sun and the moon. The ring finger (the 4th finger) of the left hand was believed to lead directly to a person's heart through the "vena amoris", the vein of love! Imagine it, an artery leading from finger to chest, a paper cut would be surely worrisome if true. And to think the Roman's later adopted this superstition!
- The Claddagh ring depicts two hands grasping a heart, a developed motif from its predecessor the Fede ring -
As a means to represent devotion between partners, the Greeks embraced the gifting of rings after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. Cultures entwined and lover's embraced in marriage ceremonies of friendship & partnership, dawning Fede rings (depicting two right hands clasped together). These rings were used to denote a marriage contract between families. During the Medieval era precious gems were set into designs, with rubies signifying passion and diamonds symbolizing strong devotion.
- Poetry inscriptions within a ring band were popular in the Elizabethan Era, these rings where known as poesy rings. -
In England, to marry, one would 'give consent' through the giving and receiving of a 'wed' or ritual object - a ring most often. Twelfth century European churches established the holy sacrament and the rule that a ring was to only be placed upon another's hand when one promised to engage the other. Later, during the 1600s, gimmel rings (interlocking matched band sets) became prominent, codifying the engagement and wedding periods separately by differing rings. And from here rings became the staple of betrothal and marriage.
- Men wearing rings took off during WWII as they were used as reminders to their loved ones back home -
